


being as in love with you as i am

by sopaloma



Series: coexist [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluffy Domestic Situations, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 19:56:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11585097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopaloma/pseuds/sopaloma
Summary: He's so excitable about anything concerning his sister. They had been slightly worried about how the arrival of the baby would affect Elliot - he'd been an only child for seven years when she was born and had only ever shared his family's attention with his almost-teenage cousins. He was the baby.It was all for nothing. As soon as he had laid his eyes on his sister, he was in love.Follow-up to "we used to be closer than this (is it something you miss?)"





	being as in love with you as i am

**Author's Note:**

> title from The xx, "Angels"
> 
> This is set around two and a half years after the end of the first story. The only knowledge I have about kids is from my nieces and nephews so please ignore any inaccuracies here!
> 
> I have another coda planned for this universe but I'm not sure when I'll get around to writing it.

Jughead is mid-pour when he hears the baby's cry in the living room. He jerks in shock, juice spilling over the countertop and missing the glass.

"Shit," he mutters, wiping up the mess.

He puts the carton back into the fridge and heads quickly to the living room but stops short in the doorway when he gets there.

Evie is lay out on her play mat on the floor, exactly where he had left her, and Elliot is sat cross-legged beside her. He's rubbing slow circles over the baby's belly, just like Betty taught him, as he says softly, "It's okay, Evie. It's okay."

Evie's face is red from her sudden outburst but she's no longer crying. Her little body has completely relaxed under his brother's hand and she's now sucking on her fist.

"Good job, Bug," Jughead says, sitting down on the floor with his kids.

Elliot grins, proud. "I got her to stop crying, dad. I did what mom said and it worked!"

He's so excitable about anything concerning his sister. They had been slightly worried about how the arrival of the baby would affect Elliot - he'd been an only child for seven years when she was born and had only ever shared his family's attention with his almost-teenage cousins. He was the baby.

It was all for nothing. As soon as he had laid his eyes on his sister, he was in love.

He liked to hold her and sing to her, to lie next to her and read his books aloud. He loved that they shared some of the same features, finding parts of himself in her little face. Betty had even taught him some simple baby massage techniques so he could soothe her and make her feel better.

"You did such a good job," Jughead said, running his hand through his his son's hair. It was getting too long but neither he nor Betty wanted to cut it.

"She must like me. That's why she stopped crying."

"She loves you," he corrects. "You're her big brother."

Jughead looks up at the clock on the wall, not realizing how late it was. Betty would be home from her dinner with Veronica soon and he wanted Elliot to be bathed and dressed for bed before she got home.

"Alright, Bug," he says as he stands. He bends down to scoop Evie up into his arms and jerks his head towards the stairs. "Bath time."

Elliot runs off up the staircase, leaving his crayons scattered across the floor and the coffee table.

"Your brothers cute but he's messy," Jughead says to his daughter, adjusting her over his shoulder.

She's still so tiny at almost two months old, smaller than Elliot had ever been. She isn't quite the Cooper girl he had pictured in his head - she's got his dark hair and the shape of his nose - but there's a lot of Betty in her beautiful face, and he wouldn't have her any other way.

When he reaches the bathroom, Elliot is waiting by the tub in his Star Wars robe. He still loved space and all things space-related and he had recently become obsessed with the more fictional side of it. It pleased Jughead to no end - he liked watching the movies with him.

He turns on the faucet and turns to Elliot.

"Can you go grab Evie's bouncer?" he asks and Elliot leaves, coming back seconds later with the bouncer in hand.

He sets it on the floor and straps Evie into it. She's still gnawing on her fist and he knows she's going to need feeding after her bath.

He checks the temperature of the water with his hand and then tells Elliot to climb in. He's getting older now, more self-aware, and he likes to do more things for himself. Jughead and Betty mostly just stay with him while he bathes to chat and make sure he washes his shampoo out properly.

He's working up a good lather as he tells Jughead about the older boy at school that's been picking on his best friend, Jake. As Jughead listens to him from his perch on the toilet seat, he taps Evie's seat with his foot to give it some extra bounce.

"He's so mean, dad. I told him I had a baby sister and he said she was stupid. Evie isn't stupid! She's smarter than him," he mutters, a hint of real contempt in his tone.

Jughead laughs but he knows Betty would disapprove, so he tries to follow it up with some advice.

"That may true but you probably shouldn't say that to his face. Just because he's mean to you and your friends doesn't mean you should be mean right back. You need to be the bigger person."

His brows knit in confusion. "But I'm not bigger. He's really tall."

"It's a metaphor, kid."

He watches Elliot's interest pique at the new word, always eager to learn, and makes a mental note to explain it to him another time.

"Make sure you rinse it all out," he says as Elliot uses the shower head to wash out the shampoo.

He does as asked and as soon as he's all cleaned up, he's wrapped up in a towel and running off into his bedroom.

Jughead lays Evie down on his and Betty's bed, a pillow next to her to prevent her from falling off. Elliot comes into his room in his matching Star Wars pajamas and climbs up onto the stool in front of Betty's vanity. Jughead dries his hair off with Betty's blow dryer and Elliot can't see through the strands as the hot air pushes it into his eyes. It really has gotten long.

He doesn't hear Betty's arrival over the over sound of the machine and he jumps when he feels her hands wrap around him from behind.

He switches it off and Elliot shouts, "Hi, mom!" at the sight of her. Betty leans over to him with a huge smile and kisses the top of his now dry head.

"Hi, sweetie. Have you been good for you dad?"

"Yep," he assures her. "And I got Evie to stop crying by rubbing her tummy."

"You did? Well done, Bug."

She lifts Evie into her arms and holds her firmly against her body, pressing kisses against her downy hair.

"Good night?" she asks, coming over to kiss him quickly.

"Very uneventful," he replies, sliding his hand down her back. "How's Ronnie?"

"She's good. Dinner was nice. We went to that new Chinese place uptown."

Jughead lifts Elliot up from the stool and tosses him over his shoulder.

"Alright, kid, time for bed," he announces.

Elliot giggles as he's transported to his room, bouncing slightly when Jughead drops him onto the bed. He quickly gets under the covers as Jughead turns on the lamp on his beside. The room is filled with the projection of tiny stars, his own little planetarium.

When Elliot is tucked up under the covers with a book to read, he returns to their bedroom to Betty already under the covers, in her pajamas.

"I already locked up," she tells him as he takes off his shirt and pants.

The TV is on, playing one of those reality shows she likes - The Bachelor, he thinks. She's holding Evie up in front of her, pressing soft kisses all over her face.

"My beautiful girl. Are you hungry?"

She pulls her cotton nightdress to the side and brings Evie to her breast. Jughead is entranced by the sight - his two favorite girls tucked up beneath the soft blue duvet, a serene smile on Betty's face as she strokes Evie's hair as she nurses.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asks him and he realizes he's been standing there staring like an idiot.

"Just gonna brush my teeth," he tells her and he definitely doesn't brush for the full two minutes in his eagerness to return to them.

He switches off all the lights and joins them in bed, his arm coming to rest around Betty's waist. He kisses her shoulder, watches their daughter nurse.

"V and Archie are trying to get pregnant."

"They are?" He's shocked. Archie hadn't said anything when he talked to him earlier and he can't keep a secret to save his life.

"She swore to Archie to secrecy," she says, as if she read his mind. "I think she's worried that it won't happen."

"They've literally just started trying."

"I know," Betty sighs. "But this is a big deal for Veronica. A few months ago she still wasn't sure about having kids but I think this little lady changed her mind," she says, rubbing Evie's foot with her thumb.

"She can be persuasive," Jughead agrees. "Look at those eyes. How can you say no to them?"

Betty laughs and kisses him. He knows he probably shouldn't slip her some tongue while their kid is feeding beneath them but it's a struggle to restrain himself.

"Have you written in your journal today?"

Jughead shakes his head. "I tend to only write in it on the tough days now. Haven't had one of those in a while."

He went through a little rough patch a few weeks before Evie was born. The third anniversary of his father's death had crept up on him. He'd been so busy preparing for the new baby and organising his book tour that he'd forgotten all about it until Betty asked him if he wanted to visit his grave.

He'd reluctantly agreed, and they'd gone with Jellybean to lay some flowers down for his father. It was the first time he'd visited the grave since his dad had passed and he had felt shakey and emotional afterwards. Add to that his fears about becoming a father for the second time and having another person he wanted to be better for, and Jughead's anxiety was getting the best of him.

He hadn't even considered having a drink - the thought truly hadn't crossed his mind. But he'd been acutely aware the whole day that if there ever was a chance that he'd relapse, it would be due to poor management of his anxiety on a day similar to that one. He'd written a two-page entry in his journal that night.

Today had been a good day and he hadn't felt the need to jot down his thoughts and fears, especially now as he snuggled up to his wife and the newest addition to their family.

"Do you want anymore?" Betty asks him quietly.

"Kids?" She nods. "Maybe. I hadn't really thought about it. Do you?"

"I think I'd like another one," she admits. "In a couple of years, when Evie's older."

"Well Elliot seems to be better at this parenting thing than I am, so I'm sure we could handle another if he's around," Jughead jokes. "You should have seen the look on his face when he got her to calm down."

She's beaming. "He's so sweet with her. I love how much he loves her."

Jughead thinks about what it would be like to have another kid in the house and decides it wouldn't be so bad. Their children are beautiful, the best things he's ever seen, and he loves them more than he thought was physically possible.

When Betty had suggested they try for another baby Jughead had been nervous about bringing up another child when he still spent some days fighting his demons. But those days because less and less frequent and he knew he couldn't put his life on hold forever. Now that Evie was here he couldn't imagine life without her.

"I think another baby would be nice. But the balls in your court, Betts. You're the one who has to carry them for nine months and give birth to them at the end of it, so you need to let me know when you're ready."

She smirks. "Will do."

She switches Evie to her other breast and settles back against Jughead's chest. The weeks since Evie's birth are probably the most content he's ever been and he can't believe that two and half a years ago he almost lost a chance at having this.

He doesn't linger on that thought. He's here now, with his girl and his kids, in the house they bought together when they were newly married. It's a great thing he's built for himself here and he's going to cherish it as much as he can.

 


End file.
